The Key to the Stars
by UltraVioletSpectrum
Summary: Leafpool receives an ominous propechy from StarClan one night; The Key to the Stars is coming. ThunderClan is in terrible condition. Will this propechy be an aid to the Clans, or destroy it forever?
1. Chapter 1

Leafpool lie curled up in her den, wide awake and staring out a hole in the ceiling to look at StarClan sparkling at her from above. Her eyes wandered across the den to see Jaypaw, her blind apprentice, lying in his corner of the den. His striped back turned to her, his middle rose and fell slowly as he breathed, deep in sleep. Leafpool kneaded her claws nervously into the moss. For some reason she couldn't name, she felt uneasy and tense. She had a premonition that something bad was going to happen.

She sighed and rose from her bed of moss. She stretched her jaws wide open in a huge yawn, stretching out her limbs in the process. She eyed Jaypaw to make sure he was still in a deep sleep, and padded on her dainty white paws through the lichens of the medicine cat den out into camp. Berrynose, who had taken to guard the entrance to camp, was dozing on his job, snoring lightly and twitching in his sleep periodically. The cream-colored tom made no motion of recognition as Leafpool padded past him into the bramble tunnel.

Leafpool shook her pelt of the prickly bramble thorns before continuing into the forest that ThunderClan's territory held. No prey rustled in the undergrowth, the only sound that was made was her muffled pawsteps in the grass and her steady breathing. StarClan still shone in the sky, as bright as ever, and Leafpool felt power surge through her, and she unconsciously began galloping further on, suddenly eager to reach the shore of the lake.

She skidded to a halt when her paws began to sink into the damp sand of the lake shore. She looked up to Silverpelt anxiously, desperate for a sign. ThunderClan was on a harsh road, and they had already lost some of their best warriors from their own frailty, some even disappearing abruptly without any signs. It wasn't leaf-bare, but prey was scarcer than it had been in the previous season of leaf-fall. Their Clan was half-starved, and becoming weaker with every passing day. Firestar was trying his hardest, but ThunderClan wasn't getting any better. And to make matters worse, StarClan hadn't told her or Jaypaw anything. Even when they visited the Moonpool, StarClan didn't have any words to share with the modern-day medicine cats.

"Oh, StarClan," Leafpool murmured, sorrow seeping into her tone, "there is something you aren't telling us. If there was ever a time we needed help, now would be it. Why won't you speak?" The stars made no response. Partly, of course, because they couldn't talk… not directly like this, anyways.

Leafpool sighed in defeat and turned around to trod back to camp, tail drooping and paws dragging in the sopping wet sand. Though she felt exhausted, she couldn't find any good reason for sleeping if StarClan wasn't going to send her any dreams.

But, as if on cue, a pinprick of light obscured part of her vision. She stopped walking, and immediately her vision faltered and became engrossed in blinding white light. Her mind flooded over with a vision, and she became aware that she couldn't move anything and that her body was completely numb.

The light faded into pitch black. But only briefly before it whipped into a vision of some sort. There in front of her was the forest, seeming to sparkle with the radiant daylight, and she mewed jubilantly at the sight. She picked up her paws and began to dash into it, but the moment was crushed as dark forms began to seep into the forest, obscuring the sunhigh light. The forest instantaneously turned dark and dismal, much to her dismay. One of these mysterious dark forms abruptly stopped its marching and leapt toward her in a flurry of black weight. Leafpool tried to breathe in, but she realized that she couldn't, and her heart pounded deep inside her chest. She abruptly felt a sucking sensation at her chest, and she could no longer feel her heart beating. Everything went blank.

But then, the blankness whipped back into the vision. The forest, still dark with the forms, reappeared in her revived vision. But this time, an upright figure, which Leafpool immediately recognized as a Twoleg, came tearing through the hoard, wielding a huge stick of some sort and swinging it at the crowd. The forms of which the Twoleg had hit with its stick went flying, fading into a cloud of darkness. The watery gray sunlight cast its glare on the stick, and it glittered jubilantly. It was an unnatural color of silvery gray, and it shone brightly as Leafpool looked into it. The place of which the Twoleg held it was a bright yellow, and it didn't shine as brightly, but it still gave off a glow.

A gentle, soft mewing filled her ears. Leafpool immediately recognized the voice as Spottedleaf, the pretty tortoiseshell she-cat that had joined StarClan back when Firestar had first joined ThunderClan. "The Keyblade. A powerful weapon that has the ability to obliterate darkness in a single strike," Spottedleaf's disconnected voice mewed in nothing more than a whisper. So that's what it was— a Keyblade.

"The Key to the Stars," Spottedleaf continued in Leafpool's ear, "is coming. Coming to destroy the cloud of darkness that is creeping upon the Clans. Leafpool, you must protect it. If anything were to happen to it, the Clans could be in mortal danger. Protect the Key to the Stars, the Key to the Door of Light."

And with that, the vision ended. Leafpool's eyes snapped open, and she breathed heavily. She sheathed her claws when she realized they had been locked into the ground this whole time. She picked up her trembling paws and padded back to camp, her mind reeling. The prophecy was confusing, but StarClan hadn't shared anything with her for moons, so she had to heed the warning.

_The Key to the Stars_… it was coming, and she had to protect it. If she didn't, the Clans would all be in mortal danger. She breathed in slowly and released it in an aggravated sigh. She wouldn't ignore a message from StarClan, it seemed unorthodox to do so. She would protect this Key to the Stars, even if it cost her her own precious life. If anything, she wouldn't let the Clans crumble into the dusts of time, to forever be forgotten in the memory of cats.

She subsided into the moss in her den, and almost instantly fell into a much-needed slumber.

"The Key… to the Stars…" Leafpool mumbled one last time before dozing off into dreams. StarClan continued the shine above Leafpool, glittering in the early obsidian greenleaf sky.

* * *

Well, obviously this is the first chapter to my new fanfic, The Key to the Stars. In case you haven't noticed yet, it's a KH-Warriors crossover... of which I've always wanted to do. :) I'm still a little surprised there hasn't been a KH-Warriors crossover already, but still...

ANYWAYS. I think this came out pretty awesome. I think writing for Leafpool is pretty interesting, because she's one unique little medicine cat. Besides, she has a pretty powerful connection with StarClan, adn that just makes it MORE fun to write. I think the ending is a little suckish... I kept failing at trying to find a dramtic sentence to end the chapter with, but my brain went poot just when I needed it. :S Stupid little peanut-sized brain. -smacks head, to which echos inside skull- O.;

Anywyas, I'm working on the second chapter as we speak, so don't worry, I'll be a-updatin' ASAP! 8D I'll still try and work on One Stormy Night as well, but I currently have NO ideas for the next chapter. -smacks head again, echos inside skull again-

Enjoy! And if you reveiw, you not only get my praise, but a FREE TOASTER OVEN!!! 8DDDD Mmm... toasty. |3

~_UltraVioletSpectrum_ (aka Mo)


	2. Chapter 2

Sora turned over in his bed uneasily, making the sheets shuffle at the motion. He didn't know why he felt so on-edge, but he did. Maybe it was because that he was in Hollow Bastion at that moment, and Heartless could be attacking at any second? Maybe.

The night lay heavily upon the small bedroom, flooding it in darkness except for the light of the stars outside the window. Sora felt extremely tired after a day of fending off massive hoards of Heartless, but his agitation made it near impossible to sleep. He had tried counting sheep, but he gave up after the one-hundred-and-forty-fifth sheep. Every time he looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand, it seemed to be mocking him, only a minute or two later than when he'd looked at it before when it seemed like hours.

Turning over onto his stomach, Sora sighed and gave yet another attempt at sleep, figuring that this attempt was in vain as well. He closed his eyes and made his breathing steady, and started thinking about random things, hoping that they would soon formulate dreams. His body told him that his position wasn't very comfortable, but he ignored it and kept trying.

All very abruptly, his whole body went numb and he felt as though he'd been sucked into another world. The blackness that his closed eyes had caused turned to a landscape, one of which he'd never seen before. It was a forest, dense and serene. Sunlight filtered through the branched above, dappling the ground in golden sunlight. He found himself running, even though his brain told him he didn't want to. By then he knew he was finally dreaming, because he didn't have any control over his actions. He didn't stop running, even though he felt like his lungs would burst at any second. He suddenly looked to the ground, and saw that not far below him were not feet, but paws… cat's paws. His body lost its numb feeling, and he found that he was running on four legs in a horizontal position. His head involuntarily turned behind him, and his heart leapt into his throat when he saw a Shadow crawling behind him, gaining on him.

Sora just ran faster, and felt his newly discovered tail lash nervously. His breathing was harsh and ragged, but he didn't want that thing to take his heart! He felt sudden weight jump onto him, and he buckled under it, landing heavily on his stomach. He felt claws tear into his back with a burning sensation, and he screamed in pain, the scream coming out as a yowl that echoed through the forest. His yowling was cut short, though, as he could no longer feel his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. Before he knew it, he blacked out and everything went blank and numb again.

Sora's eyes snapped open. He sat up in his bed and gasped, eyes wide with horror. The burning feeling in his back was replaced with a cool tingling, and he looked around to see that he was still in this bedroom, perfectly safe and in his own bed, instead of being attacked by a ruthless Heartless. He sighed in relief and lay back down again, closing his eyes and steadying his breathing. He soon fell asleep again, his dreams purged of darkness and forests for the time being.

**†xx±xx†**

Sora stirred a bit as his dreams came to an end. He blinked his eyes awake, and he sat up, unaware of where he was. He yawned and stretched the sleep out of his limbs. His eyes widened in realization when he actually began looking around and saw where he was.

Surrounding him was a forest. Sunlight dappled the plentiful green grass, the foliage glowed a bright green as the sun's rays hit it, and the chirps of birds echoed through the trees. It was very beautiful, but why was Sora here, and not back in Hollow Bastion? Unless he was still in Hollow Bastion… he doubted that, though.

Well, now that he was here, what was he going to do?

Before Sora could answer himself, he heard something rustle in one of the several bushes surrounding him. Involuntarily, his muscles tensed. There wasn't really anything to be afraid of, but who knows what was in this… place?

"I've told you a thousand times, it's not 'just any old herb'. We're clean out of them, so why not stock up now so we don't have to split up the last one into tiny pieces?" A feminine voice said from behind it. Sora raised an eyebrow, confused. He leant forward to hear the voice better, but it was already fading as it moved on farther into the forest. Sora got up and, as quietly as he could, followed the voice.

"Okay, okay, fine…" a second voice grumbled, a youngish masculine one. "By the shore, right?"

"Of course." He heard the grass rustle faintly as the voices went their separate ways. Crap, which voice should he follow now?

He decided to follow the feminine one, apparently gone left. Again, he followed it as quietly as he possibly could.

After a few minutes of more foliage and trees which got less and less beautiful with every step, the trees opened up to reveal the view of a good-sized lake. Now, this was beautiful. The sunlight dappled in crystals on the water, dancing lavishly. Sora couldn't help but give a grin at the sight.

"Now, where would they be…?" Sora flicked his head to where he heard the feminine voice come from, and he stared incredulously at what he saw. There, pacing around with her head lowered, was a brown tabby cat with white paws and amber eyes. _This_ was what he was following… a house cat? But cats couldn't talk!

Or could they?

Suddenly, the tabby cat decided that there was something behind her (which there was) that she had to look at, and she turned her cat-eared head around only to meet blue eyes… that weren't another cat's.

The tabby cat gave out a frightened yowl that made Sora jump and cry out in shock as well. The tabby drew onto Sora, baring her fangs and hissing nasty threats. Sora could only stare in bewilderment, mouth hanging open stupidly. He shouldn't have been surprised that a cat was talking, but he was… after all, he'd seen plenty of unworldly things in his treks for saving the world and finding his friends.

"I said, 'Get out of here'!" The female cat snapped to Sora's face. Sora shook his head as he snapped back to reality, looking into the cat's golden amber eyes.

"I would if I could, but I can't," Sora retorted a little more sourly than he intended to.

Now it was the cat's turn to be surprised. She drew her ears flat against her head and shrank back, tail lashing. Sora saw her claws sheathe, and heaved a sigh of relief. "…You can talk…?"

Sora couldn't reply, too puzzled to say anything. What kind of world _was_ this? He was magically just dropped here in his sleep, with no warnings or signs… and now cats were talking! This was just too weird! Next thing you know, Heartless would be popping out of nowhere, stealing cat's souls right in front of his eyes!

Turns out he thought too soon. Out of nowhere (he figured this is usually where things come from in this world), a dark figure emerged from the foliage, skittering around on the ground mindlessly. The cat shrieked, dashing behind Sora in her fear.

Sora couldn't have been any more ready as he summoned his Keyblade into his hand. The cat stared dubiously at his weapon, eyes wide and blank. Her muzzle hung open in a gape, and she drew up her back with her fur bristling.

Sora ignored it and whapped at the familiar Shadow, making it disappear with a _poof_ into darkness. He turned around to look at the cat, who was staring up at him with sparkling eyes.

"The Key to the Stars…" the cat murmured, not taking her eyes off the Keyblade.

Sora couldn't help but look at the Keyblade as well. What was this "Key to the Stars" that this cat was mewling about? He guessed he'd find out soon enough.

The tabby snapped out of her trance and looked Sora in the eyes, looking grave and very serious. "You need to come back with me." It wasn't a statement. It was a command. Sora couldn't find any way around it, so he simply nodded.

"Do you have a name?" Sora asked the cat.

"A name… Oh! My name! Right… My name is Leafpool."

"Leafpool, huh? What a weird name."

"I suppose yours is perfectly normal, then? Tell me what _your_ name is." Leafpool said it like it was a challenge.

"My name's Sora."

"…'Perfectly normal' indeed. Now then, I need to get you back to camp, and tell Firestar that I've found you."

"Who's Firestar?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side a bit.

"The leader of ThunderClan… you'll find out soon enough," Leafpool added when she saw Sora's raised eyebrow. "_Jaypaw_!!!" Sora jumped at the brown tabby's sudden yowl.

After a minute, he saw a second cat emerge from the foliage, panting from his decent from where he was to them. He was a gray tabby with blue eyes that stared blankly into space. Sora wondered why for a minute, but came to a conclusion that this cat was, in fact, blind.

The gray tabby, apparently Jaypaw, growled to Leafpool through the clumps of plants that were clamped in his jaws, "What's so deathly important you had to call me over here?"

"We need to bring Sora here back to camp," Leafpool told him, gesturing toward Sora with her tail.

"A kittypet? Why would we bring a kittypet to…?" He trailed off as he inhaled the air after he dropped the herbs. "Oh… he's not a kittypet after all… even so, why would we bring a Twoleg to camp? The camp would have a fit!"

"It's because of the prophecy," Leafpool replied sternly.

Jaypaw obviously knew what she was talking about, because he replied with an "Ah…" He scooped up the herbs again and mumbled, "Okay, then, let's get… that… back to camp," he flicked his tail in Sora's direction sourly.

"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" Sora exclaimed indignantly, crossing his arms and giving the gray tabby a glare. The gray tabby jumped, dropping the herbs for the second time, and whirled around to face Sora.

"What in the name of StarClan…? He can talk?!"

"Yes… did you really think that StarClan was going to—"

"I get it, I get it…" Jaypaw grumbled, picking up the herbs yet again and starting to pad off in the direction that Sora had come from. Leafpool rolled her eyes and followed Jaypaw. Sora still couldn't find any way around this predicament, so he had no choice but to follow them back to their camp.

"The Key to the Stars…" Sora murmured, pondering over its meaning as he walked through the forest, trailing the two cats. His mind reeled as he though about it, crossing his arms and cupping his chin between his thumb and index finger. He still couldn't find a meaning after what seemed like hours of walking through the forest, so he gave up and continued following the cats in their trek to their camp.

* * *

It's _finished_!!! -throws confetti-

Sorry to keep you guys waiting for it. I was too focused on L's Pregnancy to jump onto this, but I finally managed to push it aside, get off my lardish butt, and get to work on this! SPLEE!!!

I don't really have an opinion on this chapter, other than it was a blast to write!

Reveiws are always appreciated! And what better way than to show appreciation than through french fries dipped in ice cream? Don't judge it by the way it sounds, it's friggin' delicious.

~_UltraVioletSpectrum_ (aka Mo)


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